Press Release

- Global sales of Kia vehicles through November increase 10.1% to 1,272,689 units
- Cumulative global sales through November surpass 2007 annual total (1,269,164 units sold in 2007)
- Sales in China, Korea and general markets post cumulative year-on-year sales growth of 33.9%, 32.2% and 16.8%, respectively
(SEOUL) December 10, 2008 - Kia Motors Corporation announced today that its cumulative global sales (export sales, domestic sales and sales from overseas plants) of passenger cars, recreation vehicles (RVs) and commercial vehicles through November 2008 recorded 1,272,689 units, representing a 10.1% year-on-year increase and surpassing 2007 cumulative sales of 1,269,164 units.
Cumulatively through the first eleven months of 2008, China (134,176 units sold) and general markets (239,785 units sold) have experienced the largest year-on-year gains of 33.9%, and 32.2%, respectively. Cumulative sales increases have also been experienced in Korea (16.8% gain from 288,925 units sold) and Europe (0.7% gain from 315,172 units sold), while North America has experienced a relatively small decrease (6.3% decrease from 294,631 units sold).
Hyoung-Keun Lee, Senior Executive Vice President and COO of the International Business Division, said, "Despite these challenging economic times, Kia has still experienced growth. Through the month of November, Kia surpassed the 2007 cumulative sales figure and has experienced over 10 percent sales growth compared to only 3.5 percent for all of 2007."
In November, Kia announced that 99,731 vehicles were sold globally, a decrease of 13.9% compared to November of 2007. Kia posted year-on-year sales increases in general markets (23,516 units, 15.0% year-on-year increase) and Korea (26,145 units sold, 3.7% year-on-year increase). Meanwhile, in China, Europe and North America, 10,323 (0.8% decrease), 21,862 (33.4% decrease) and 17,885 (33.6% decrease) Kia vehicles were sold in November, respectively.
So far in 2008, Kia's best selling model in overseas markets has been the C-segment Cerato (known as 'Spectra' in some markets) with 178,198 units sold. The B-segment Rio takes second place with 143,392 units sold. Meanwhile the C-segment cee'd and Kia's Sportage compact SUV compete closely for third place with 139,489 and 134,238 units sold, respectively. Rounding out the top five, the A-segment Picanto continues to perform well with 86,658 units sold. 623,008 passenger cars have sold so far in 2008, representing a 14.8% year-on-year increase.
Lee continued, "In November, Kia's compact SUV, the Sportage, was the number one vehicle sold globally, and strategic vehicles such as the cee'd continue to perform well. With the launch of the all-new urban crossover Soul early next year, we are confident that Kia's product portfolio is well positioned to continue to stimulate sales growth in 2009."
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Kia Motors Corporation (www.kia.com) -- a maker of quality vehicles for the young-at-heart -- was founded in 1944 and is Korea's oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles. As part of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, Kia aims to become one of the world's premier automotive brands. More than 1.4 million vehicles a year are produced in 14 manufacturing and assembly operations in eight countries which are then sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 172 countries. Kia today has over 40,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of almost US$17 billion. It is the major sponsor of the Australian Tennis Open and an official worldwide sponsor of the Davis Cup. Kia is an official automotive partner of FIFA -- the governing body of the FIFA World Cup -- as well as a EUROTOP partner of UEFA. Kia Motors Corporation's brand slogan -- "The Power to Surprise" -- represents the company's global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through continuous automotive innovation.